Lifeline Foundation for Suicide Prevention
Better approaches needed for suicide prevention
For the past decade, between 1,800 and 2,500 deaths by suicide have occurred every year. The trend has not dropped in the same way that lives lost to road accidents, cancer and other major health issues have.
Many of these deaths are preventable and more can be done!
Better approaches are needed for suicide prevention:
- More ways of reaching people – and relieve their distress earlier.
- Accurately identify suicidal persons – to save lives.
- Equip individuals, families and communities to become more resilient and mutually supporting in times of crisis.
About the Lifeline Foundation for Suicide Prevention
The Foundation brings together the insights of those with personal experience about suicide (survivors of suicide attempts and people impacted by the loss of another to suicide) with researchers and professional experts to find better ways to prevent the tragic loss of life.
Better Services and Programs
Lifeline services and community programs will be continually improved by applying the knowledge gained through the Foundation.
For example:
- In April 2011, Lifeline launched the first ever online Crisis Support Chat service in Australia. Evaluation research has found that 57% of Australians who contacted Lifeline’s Online Crisis Support Chat were ’thinking about suicide today’. New technologies such as online chat and social media are ways of improving services.
- Suicide ‘hot spots’ such as Gap Park in Sydney – evaluation research is informing how best to prevent lives lost to suicide at these locations. Signage is encouraging people to seek help and emergency phones are being trialled, together with improved safety measures at the park.
Everyone in our community stands to benefit from this life saving work.
Donations
The Lifeline Foundation for Suicide Prevention seeks funds from government, research bodies, corporate donors and private contributors to collect and make available new knowledge on suicide prevention.
You can help today – give to the Lifeline Foundation for Suicide Prevention – better knowledge for better services will mean more lives saved.
Lifeline Foundation for Suicide Prevention website
The Lifeline Foundation for Suicide Prevention website is currently under development.
Further information
For information about the Foundation or to make a donation please contact
02 6215 9400
or foundation@lifeline.org.au
Lifeline wishes to thank Servier for their support of the Lifeline Foundation.
Side Panel
Every day in Australia six people die of suicide